While the national economy may be struggling, the West Texas Fair and Rodeo, housed at the Taylor County Expo Center, hauled in a windfall of revenue like it hasn’t seen in two full years, though it might be more related to the weekend’s perfect weather than a sign of financial recovery. Still, after two consecutive years of rain, patrons were glad to see the sun was out and spirits were high, raking in thousands more dollars than the previously dampened festivities. Rain or shine, the numbers were impressive, as the Fair improved upon its 2007 numbers as well, though the blue Texas sky was equally pristine.Fair officials aren’t ready to write off the banner weekend as the end of their problems. After all, anyone familiar with the Abilene area knows the Taylor County Expo Center is well versed on the facility’s recent history of budgetary issues. Despite the past several months of monetary shortcomings, signs of hope like the Fair and Rodeo are the direct result of a concern effort and diligent planning to drive interest in events housed at the Expo Center, especially at a time of year when college football is top dog in the state of Texas. The Fair and Rodeo’s success is particularly impressive when you consider the competition it faced on the entertainment front, highlighted by the University of Texas Longhorns squaring off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on the event’s final Saturday night.The West Texas Fair and Rodeo actually packed in full days of fun just over a full week, starting at 11:00 a.m. on September 10^th and coming to a close late in the evening of September 18^th, entertaining kids and adults of all ages with a wide selection of activities from parades to tractor-pulls to calf-roping to karaoke, all complemented with traditional Texas style meat and sides. A great time for the entire family, be sure to check out the West Texas Fair and Rodeo when it sets up shop again in Abilene next fall.